Business Education learns the benefits of cloud with Exponential-e

Exponential-e is to provide private cloud infrastructure for Business Education Ltd which operates two leading further education schools, Quest Professional and Frances King, enabling Business Education to implement a flexible, resilient foundation for its global growth and to streamline its business processes. With private cloud infrastructure and a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) provided by Exponential-e, the organisation is set to significantly improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Business Education, through the two schools, provides teaching services including English lessons for foreign students and business and secretarial courses to over 7,000 adults a year. Cloud is key for the business’s strategic growth providing business agility, important for expansion into new markets overseas for example, as Business Education looks to America, Australia and South Africa for future growth.

Connectivity is central to the organisations’ day-to-day operations in ensuring a consistent and seamless user experience for staff and students, but by integrating private cloud into the 100 Gigabit Ethernet core, Layer 2 VPLS network provided by Exponential-e, Business Education can better mitigate risk. Through its private cloud infrastructure the organisation can better support remote working for staff and students, 24/7 sales operations and seamless classroom learning. The business can also apply a device-neutral policy for all users to access data and shared applications, further improving flexibility.

Steve Tims, COO, Business Education, comments: “Implementing cloud infrastructure has to meet our business objectives of becoming more efficient and effective as a business, as well as creating a foundation for global growth. To do this we need a network that is able to support the demands created by our varying requirements, and must support the move into a robust cloud environment. The combination of both means we can easily support remote workers, setting up a new office or peaks in traffic. By channelling these through one supplier we are able to guarantee levels of service and instead focus the business on expansion.”

Business Education also expects to make significant improvements in operational efficiencies as a result of implementing cloud with Exponential-e. For example, saving around 20 per cent on power from outsourcing operations of its servers previously held on-site, facilities costs as a result of flexible working practices, and by sweating hardware assets as a result of the device-neutral approach.

Tims adds: “A robust cloud solution means we can reconsider how we operate as a business in future, for example rolling out a ‘bring your own device’ policy, switching on new satellite offices or enabling overseas remote workers very easily. Knowing it is always secure and reliable enables us to do that.”

Mukesh Bavisi, Managing Director, Exponential-e, comments: “Many businesses today are considering cloud infrastructure as it has clear benefits to enabling businesses to be more flexible, but as Business Education has discovered, it is only as good as the network it is delivered over. This is a clear example of the demands that can be placed on infrastructure and the importance of getting this right, in order to ensure the business as a whole benefits from cloud.”